Indiana Jones and the Pharaoh's Curse
by prettydynamic
Summary: A mysterious Egyptian ring believed to be a myth that can help Doctor Jones in his longed plan expedition to King Ramses' tomb came across him through unexpected circumstances. Spin-off of my Who's the Boss story Death and Love.
1. The Mysterious Ring

Doctor Jones drew the curtain of his small private office at the Arts and Sciences Department in Marshall College to disperse the blinding afternoon sun disturbing his quiet afternoon of reading. He had just finished checking the final semestral exams of the senior high school students. Most of them received fairly passing marks with only a handful with exceptionally high grades.

He was concerned about one of his top students, Jonathan Bower, whom he caught cheating at the finals last Thursday. He couldn't believe that the straight A, well-mannered young man whom he thought highly of had been cheating during the final exam. It led him to wonder if he had cheated all these time albeit he displayed a thorough knowledge of the subject during oral recitations and group presentations. He left him no choice but to fail him.

He sat back at his professor's chair and took out a 1908 first edition rare Egyptian history book that he was studying. For years he'd been intrigued by Pharaoh Rameses III's Tomb whom several archaeologists both renowned and nameless alike have tried to unearth and study but everyone who survived the expedition attempts have talked about a golden gate at the inner recesses of the huge catacomb, a gate with a huge golden idol with black jewel eyes seated cross legged in the middle of the gate that said to guard the door that leads to the legendary treasure beyond people's imagination.

Several expeditions have been orchestrated but all were not only a failure in opening the golden gate, but all ended with a tragedy of an archaeologist's death. He believed that none were successful in the excavation of Ramases III's catacomb because archaeologists were ill-prepared. For years he had been studying the life and reign of Ramases III to deeply understand the recesses of his mind, and by understanding and knowing him, he would find out the secret of opening the infamous golden gate at the bottom of the crypt.

Doctor Jones carefully flipped the page of the old book, precarious in preserving its fragile and almost decrepit state. A black and white photo of an unusual and ancient ring appeared in the next page. It had a huge stone in the middle and baguette shaped small supplementary stones surround the main stone. The jewellery was set in claw like emblem that appeared to be an evil's eye from a far. The kind of stone used was not mentioned in the book but despite the lack of information about the ring, its mysterious and unusual design deign it easy to distinguish from other jewellery.

The book had several pages missing that prevented him from having further information about the ring. He sighed and hid the book at his bottom drawer as a steady knock came on his office door.

"Come in," he said in a nonchalant manner. Who would be calling on him at this hour? All students have left at noon since they have been given the afternoons off for the entire week to study for final exams scheduled each morning for the week.

"Good afternoon! Doctor Jones?' inquired a soft feminine voice with an assertive manner.

He looked up and the vision before him was the last thing he expected. Before him stood a beautiful woman in a Dolce and Gabana classic stretched wool pinstriped black jacket on a turtleneck white cashmere top with a printed grey and black silk scarf and straight leg stretched wool pinstriped slacks. Very professional yet attractive, thought Doctor Jones.

"Have a seat, please. Yes, I'm Doctor Jones," he answered.

"I'm Angela Bower, Jonathan's mother. I..I just want to discuss about my son's situation in your class...you see..."

He didn't get past her first sentence. Her voice drowned as he scrutinized her. _Jonathan's mother. _He noticed they had the same light blond hair, and intelligent eyes the colour of maple and sunset. She looked very corporate and formal. _What did Jonathan say about her when they had a little chat in the library? She is an advertising president. Or did he say a model for some advertisements? He couldn't quite recall._

"...and if you would only make further investigations, you would know he didn't cheat the exam."

He did catch the gist of her visit. "Ms. Bower, I'm sorry, I caught him having the paper with answers on his desk..."

"But you caught it just in time that good for nothing bully threw that sheet of paper on his desk. Perhaps, of you would give him another test just to prove he knows the subject...please, Doctor Jones. My son is running for honours. If you could only extend a little consideration..."

He noticed the note of desperation in her voice albeit not losing her professionalism. He was indeed seriously considering giving Jonathan another test-a longer, more difficult one but before he could express this thought to Angela Bower she inadvertently touched his lower arm while making her point and the ancient glistening claw like eye that he thought was a mere fictional detail in his book stared back at him menacingly from her beautifully manicured ring finger.

Her voice was downed again by the overwhelming existence of the ancient Egyptian ring staring at him from her finger. For a moment Doctor Jones lost touch with the present as he eyed the ring thoroughly. The beautiful center stone was a clear princess cut diamond, embellished by what appeared to be black onyx or black moonstones. He could not make a mistake this was THE RING or a very good copy of it.

He felt embarrassed when he realized Angela Bower was staring at him, waiting for his reply. He cleared his throat and looked back at her earnest expression. "I will give Jonathan another chance... Can I...Can I invite you out for dinner tonight?" he found himself saying. _Funny that he remembered she was divorced but couldn't remember what her profession was. _

Jonathan's mother smiled. "Thank you, Doctor Jones. That's greatly appreciated but I hope you are not hitting on me as I am a very engaged woman," she joked.

He released her hand immediately. "Engaged? I'm sorry. I... didn't want you to misconstrue...I only meant a friendly dinner. I don't want you to take offense..."

"No offense taken Doctor Jones, believe me. Perhaps we can take a rain check," she smiled.

"That would be nice," he said.

As Angela Bower stood up to leave, he asked, "Uhm...Ms. Bower...where did you get that unusual ring?"

She beamed brightly. "Oh, this ring? It's my engagement ring. My fiancée just gave it to me a week ago during our weekend trip to Vermont."


	2. Burried Treasure

The moon was full, its bright light making the Egyptian desert less sinister and frightening in the middle of the night. This somehow gave him the audacity to stray from camp and walk alone to the excavation site. He knew it wasn't safe, it wasn't in their protocol to go alone without company nor without any safety equipment but he had with him his mini flashlight which would help him find his way inside the crypt. He after all did not need any digging device.

The way inside the underground chambers was steep but he was in shape for the exhausting and quite precarious trek inside the catacombs. He found his way back to the chamber believed to be a princess' burial ground because of an ornate sarcophagus in the middle of the room, surrounded by several skeletons believed to be the bodies of servants buried with the princess. The mummy lay undisturbed inside the sarcophagus till arrangements for it to be moved to England were made. He uncovered the left ring finger and it revealed a glistening diamond ring embellished with black stones. He tried to slip it off the finger but for some reason it wouldn't budge from the mummy. He felt his heart pounding wildly as he scrambled to take off the ring. He was afraid someone would catch him if he doesn't go back to the campsite soon. In his haste, he accidentally tore off the finger and the magnificent ring fell to the ground.

Doctor Jones sat up in bed, perspiration covered his body despite the chilly night. He rubbed his aching head as he recalled every detail of his dream. The man appeared to be young, not more than twenty five, must be a young archaeologist. He didn't appear to be greedy or ruthless. He was merely excited at the sight of the ring in his hands as he uttered a name, "Eloise".

Doctor Jones stared at the page containing the mysterious ring. It was indeed the same ring in his dream but he wondered if it was precisely the same one in Angela Bower's finger. He had to see her soon or else he would not get any peace of mind...

* * *

He caught sight of her immediately as she entered the Italian Restaurant, her tall personage and striking delicate beauty stood out. She smiled at him as she noticed him seated at the corner booth. He tried not to stare as she walked towards him, her long legs revealed by her garnet coloured, three quarter sleeved dress seamed A-line above her knee.

She told him she was bringing her fiancée with her. Doctor Jones half expected her fiancé to be the man in his recurrent dream but the man closely following her was a colleague from Marshall College.

"Hi Angela!" he greeted as he shook her hand.

"Hi Tony! Pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were Angela Bower's lucky fiancée," he said pleasantly as he shook Tony's hand before inviting them to seat.

"Henry! Good to see you. I really want to thank you personally for giving Jonathan another chance. You know he is a good kid, a real honest one. It's unfortunate that he was put on a tight spot. I would have explained the whole thing to you but Jonathan didn't want me to interfere...with both of us being professors in school...he didn't think it would proper. But I'm glad all is fine now," said Tony before ordering a glass of wine.

"I always knew he was a good kid, and a smart one at that. Being one of the exceptional students I invited him to join us in an expedition this summer. I was hoping it would influence him to take archaeology as a profession. I really think he would go places with his analytical mind and his passion for history and anthropology but alas...he has his mind set on being a businessman. He said he plans to put up his own software firm some day," said Dr. Jones.

"His father's job took him away from home most of the time and which led to our divorce. I think that may have led Jonathan to consider a more lucrative job that wouldn't take him away from home so much," replied Angela pensively.

The waiter arrived with their dinner and as they were in the middle of their meal, Doctor Jones broached the subject about the ring.

"Your engagement ring is quite unusual. Where did you buy it, Tony?" he asked.

"I was so anxious about finding the right ring for Angela. I couldn't make up my mind when the owner of the jewellery shop in New York City offered me this ring-it's on display, it's her own ring given to her by her husband. I don't know...she have an immediate liking towards me and offered me the ring. It's beautiful, it's creepy-it's awesome so I grabbed it. It was the last present from her husband-it came from Egypt I think..."

The news perked up Doctor Jones. He was now eighty percent certain that the ring was genuine. It was the ring given by King Rameses III to her daughter, the ring that could possibly lead him to open the golden gate leading to the legendary treasure.

Doctor Jones carefully took Angela's hand and looked at the ring carefully. Tony and Angela stared at him in confusion. He smiled at them without letting go Angela's hand.

"Did you know that your ring bears the symbol of Nephthys, the daughter of the Egyptian god Nut and Geb whom Egyptians believe to be the protector of virtue. King Rameses III gave his daughter Princess Melacorta a ring just like that to protect her virtue. You see he wanted to offer her daughter to the gods in exchange for power so he wanted her to remain a virgin but unfortunately, he died before he could make such offering. Her daughter had inherited all his gold, all his treasure and it was believed to have been buried somewhere in the Valley of the Kings."

"Oh come on, Doctor Jones, I'm sure it's just a legend. Just like the legend of my ring. You know some scientist we met at Vermont said the same hogwash..." recalled Angela thoughtfully.

"...you can take it with a grain of salt...A couple of archaeologists are going on an expedition in two weeks...at the Valley of Kings to check out this legendary treasure...would you like to go with us?" invited Doctor Jones.

"I can't. I'm giving Summer Classes to advance students," said Tony.

"I would love to go... I have never..." exclaimed Angela in excitement which unfortunately was short-lived as Toy stopped her from going.

"No! I don't think so, Angela. That's quite dangerous..."

"There will be several archaeologists and we are well-equipped..."

"I'm sorry, Doctor Jones. I'm sure if you were in my shoes you wouldn't want Angela to go on a dangerous expedition without you."

"But Tony..." Angela began to protest.

"No Angela, that would really make me sick with worry. If you love me, you will not go."


	3. Lies in the Desert

**Two Weeks Later**

"I'm home!" exclaimed Tony as he swung the front door of the Bower Residence, expecting his fiancé Angela to be throwing herself into his arms as soon as he set foot into the house.

"I'm home!" he yelled once again, flinging his suitcase on the couch, extremely disappointed that Angela wasn't there to welcome him home. He missed her so much. He'd been away for three days for a college reunion in Rhode Island and all he wanted to do at the moment was to smother Angela with kisses and take her in his arms as he fill her with sweet nothings.

His daughter Samantha and adopted son Billy ran down the stairs and welcomed him with a kiss.

"Did you bring back anything for me, Tony?" asked five year old Billy.

"I did. All the goodies are in the bag," he said as he ruffled Billy's mop of dark hair.

"Look who is back from Sin City. If it isn't the prodigal fiancé," joked Mona, emerging from the kitchen with Jonathan as they welcomed Tony.

"I'm glad you're back. We're sick of grandma's cooking. If there is anything worse than mom's cooking, it's grandma's," said Jonathan as he helped himself with the goodies in Tony's bag. Mona slapped his shoulder playfully.

Tony noticed that Angela was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, where's Angela? She should be here more than anyone else. Didn't she miss me? Just what do you mean by Sin City and Prodigal Fiance, Mona? I didn't go to Atlantic City! I went to a college reunion."

"More of a Reconciliation, maybe" muttered Mona under her breath.

He noticed everyone avoided not only his question but avoided his eyes as though afraid they would be picked to explain everything.

"Honney Bunny! I'm home!" he yelled but the affectionate tone and cheerful smile that used to greet him each time he stepped into the house was nowhere.

"Where's Angela?" he asked worriedly.

The inquisitive and frisky little boy answered. "The last time I heard she is going on a Treasure Hunt."

"A Treasure Hunt? Without me? We always do things together," said Tony.

"Do you also do things with Kathleen?" asked Billy innocently.

Mona and Samantha choked on their chocolates.

Tony knelt to Billy's level. "No, Billy. I don't do things with Kathleen. What made you say that?"

"You're lying, Tony. Kathleen called Angela and said you were meeting in Rhode Island and you're going to make beautiful music together. Doesn't that imply that you do things with Kathleen? She did say you will do music together. Angela was right. You're a liar Tony. She cried and packed her bags. She said she needed to get away and think."

"How could you hurt Angela like that dad?" reprimanded Samantha.

"You should have been man enough to tell her you want to reconcile with Kathleen rather than lying to her about a college reunion," scolded Mona.

Tony was aghast. "What are you guys talking about? Yes, Kathleen was there since we were on the same course in college but we were not there 'together perse'. I saw her there but I didn't spend time with her! And what is this talk about Angela getting away? Where is she? I want to talk to her and straighten things out."

"Phoenix," said Billy.

"That's not how Kathleen described it to mom," cut in Jonathan, eyeing Tony closely.

"Then Kathleen is lying. I wouldn't do that to your mother, you know that. I love her," protested Tony.

"No not Phoenix, Billy. She went to see the Sphinx," corrected Samantha.

Tony's eyebrows furrowed quite angrily. "Did I hear you right?"

"Judging by the way you look, I should say you understood it correctly dad," said Samantha.

"So if you want to straighten things out with mother, you better be prepared to climb up the pyramids and go digging in the Catacombs," said Jonathan.

"Oh no! She's not going to some desolated desert with a couple of old foggies who finds it fascinating to dig up someone's resting place for a pastime."

"I'm afraid she already did. She left three days ago," said Mona matter-of-factly with a hint of humour.


	4. The Sacrificial Lady

Doctor Jones tipped his fedora hat to cover the blinding rays of the sun as he studied the map of the desert area in Alexandria. He tried to ease his discomfort in his portable chair, a few yards from the excavation of their little group of Egyptologists, professors and investors. Their makeshift tents were futile against the blazing rays of the Mediterranean Sun. He wiped his brow with his handkerchief and sighed. _At this point I'd rather be dipping in the hotel pool._ But he knew he couldn't go back to the hotel for a short swim then come back to work on the site as travelling by jeep from the Mena Oberoi Hotel to the site would take 3 hours.

A faint sound of an engine led him to glance at the horizon, and soon an open-air desert red jeep came into view. He smiled in amusement as he recognized the lovely American at the passenger side. He admired her intelligence and sophistication, and her well-famed tenacity in advertising. But her independence and guts to travel by herself in the deserted area of Alexandria topped her innumerable assets in his book.

Doctor Jones helped her out of the jeep and was surprised to find her in a short exotic print kimono sleeved silk dress and flat gladiator crème sandals. "I hardly recognized you...," he joked.

"Doctor Jones! It's such a relief to see you after travelling a stretch of empty desert for what seemed like ages," greeted Angela.

"You don't expect me to be in business suit at this sweltering heat! How can you ever manage to look so fresh and handsome in your khaki pants, polo and jacket in this scorching desert is beyond me," she added.

He offered her a bottle of Sierra Springs and a portable seat beside him. "Let's cut the formality. I'll call you Angela. You call me Indiana...your attire does look cool and comfortable in this heat."

"You should all be digging in your boxers," she joked.

The highly educated and charming professor and the beautiful and smart advertising executive were busy flirtatiously kidding one another under the scorching heat that they didn't notice several Caucasian pairs of eyes lit up in devious delight at the sight of Angela. Several eyes that observe her like eyes of a tiger eyeing a potential prey.

"Her sudden appearance saves us the cumbersome task of abducting some unsuspecting local girl to offer the idols of the pyramid," said a dark-haired middle-aged man in khaki slacks to his companions.

"Do you think Dr. Jones got her here for that purpose?" asked his patronising assistant curiously.

A grey haired and bearded old professor from the same University interrupted in a wavering voice, "Indiana knows nothing about the legend...I...I never told him why there were always deaths in the past expeditions to this tomb. He never asked why I was pushing him to bring a female professor- Alice Crane for that matter but alas she got sick the last minute. "

ar"For someone as intelligent as Dr. Jones, he never had the critical mind of wondering or questioning you about those deaths," said the dark-hair middle-aged man.

"Mr. Keats, there was nothing suspicious about those deaths. Anyone can just brush them aside as mere accidents which are not unusual on archaeological expeditions," replied the bearded old colleague vehemently.

"Nothing suspicious? When the three deaths on those expeditions were all women archaeologists!" exclaimed a young archaeoligist.

"It matters not to me as long as I get my money's worth, it doesn't matter if we have to sacrifice the mother of the president!" said Mr. Yates.

"You'll get your money's worth," snapped Professor Keats.

"Well, how do you think Dr. Jones is going to react if something happens to his friend... whom he seems to be very fond of," said another respectable looking elderly man in spectacles as they watched Dr. Jones brush Angela's hair away from her eyes as they laugh at something the men couldn't hear.

"It will break his heart naturally, but just like what Professor Plum said, 'it can easily be considered a horrible accident'. Pity, she's such a doll," said the menacing looking investor.

The men climbed out of the excavation pit through the little stairs they've built to easily climb in and out of Egyptian Catacomb and leisurely approached the pair seated under the comfortable covering of the tent.

"...I'll take you for a camel ride tomorrow," laughed Indiana as the men took shelter beneath the wide tent.

Before Angela could reply amiably, the dark-hair middle aged man spoke.

"Oh come on, Dr. Jones, this is not a picnic. We're here on business, why don't you bring our lovely lady under the dugout so she can discover the recesses of the catacomb. I'm sure she'll find it very entertaining."

Indiana smiled good-naturedly. "Oh, Angela, this is Professor Keats, his assistant- Marcus. This is Mr. Yates, our patron and financier, and you know Professor Plum from the University, and Mr. Thompson and his group of archaeologists who are into this project of reviving the excavation of the tomb of Pharaoh Rameses III. I'll show you his tomb and that of his daughter Princess Melacorta."

Angela shook hands with the gentlemen and flashed them her smile that breaks too many a heart. "It's good to be in the company of intelligent and distinguished gents of the field of Archaeology. I'm sure I'll enjoy myself learning about history and anthropology, and those old relics and things you dig out."

Indiana turned back to the professor. "You're right, Professor Keats. I'll take Angela on tour underground tomorrow instead of that camel ride. Now is not a good time. Dusk is fast approaching. It will be dark in a few hours. It wouldn't be safe for her to be exploring the desert at night. I better take her back to the hotel."

Indiana and Angela said their farewells as they climbed into the open-air jeep.

"Rats! We could have opened the gate tonight if Dr. Jones had brought her below," muttered Marcus.

"Relax Marcus. There is enough time. Tomorrow we shall open the gates that hold the treasure of Pharaih Rameses III."


	5. Separation

Unable to think straight, Tony walked aimlessly around the Rockerfeller Center. He couldn't believe Kathleen would be so atrocious to lie to Angela about them, and he thought she was a kind-hearted woman who understood that he didn't mean to fall in-love with his boss. But he was wrong. Kathleen was calculating. She wanted break them apart and have Tony for back for herself. Angela wasn't easily jealous. She found security and strength in their relationship. She always trusted him and it was for that same reason that he was once tempted by a willing young woman and he strayed from their mutual understanding and fell for Kathleen. That unpleasant incident taught Angela not to be too loose in the way she handled their relationship, it toughened her, taught her to fight and not to trust too easily. And since he once fell for Kathleen Angela didn't doubt Kathleen's claim that he once again fell for her.

He wanted to run after Angela, to tell her that everything Kathleen said was a lie. He could never fall for another woman again now that they were engaged. He loved her and only her. Going to Egypt wasn't a part of his plan. He'd been saving up for the wedding but now if he wanted Angela back he must use up what he saved and follow her. He would have to find a substitute teacher to teach the advance classes for the summer. He sighed, he would have earned 500 dollars for the summer.

He trusted her. Perhaps he should just wait till she comes home. By then she would have simmered and have forgotten what she was upset about. If he followed her, it would be an admission of guilt unlike if he stood his ground it would indicate a clear conscience. She would not deliberately do something she'll later regret just to spite him, would she?

But he didn't trust the circumstances she'll find herself in, alone with an intelligent good-looking man who would offer her comfort and understanding. He had no doubt his colleague Dr. Jones had been smitten by her. They're both men and he knew what a fascinated man looked like. His antenna immediately detected Dr. Jones' attraction for Angela.

He was so distraught and lost in thought that it took him a moment to realize someone was calling out his name.

"Tony! Tony! Hey Tony!"

He looked up and realized he was outside the jewelry shop where he got Angela's engagement ring. The old lady who once owned the ring had been calling out his name.

He tried to force a smile and pretend all was well.

"Hello Eloise! How are you? You're looking good," said Tony.

"I wish I could say the same for you, Tony. What's wrong? It looks like you just lost your winning ticket to the lottery," replied Eloise with concern.

Tony tried to act nonchalant. "It's nothing. Just a little misunderstanding is all."

The old lady tapped him on the back for comfort.

"Now, Tony, don't let your misunderstanding stand between you for days. It may have been small or petty but if you don't fix it right away you'd be surprised how it would become bigger and harder to fix."

Tony's eyes suddenly lit up. Her words enlightened him. He would go after Angela curse the savings. Either it will just take them a little longer to save or they would just have to settle for a less fancy wedding. He would fight for Angela, make her understand the truth.

* * *

Indiana and Angela rode the open-air jeep on the way back to the hotel in silence. Angela's thoughts flew back to Tony despite the great company she was having and the interesting atmosphere of Cairo. She couldn't believe he would cheat on her. Why didn't her just say he wanted to call off their engagement? Why did she have to find it out from Kathleen? She suppressed the tears that were slowly brimming in her eyes.

The silence was broken by Indiana's soothing gentle voice.

"Tomorrow will be a busy day, Angela. How about a Cairo Night Tour? I'll take you out to enjoy the evening sights, we can have a little dancing, and have a dinner cruise on the Nile. What do you say, Angela? he asked eagerly.

Angela looked into his scholarly handsome features, a total opposite from Tony's sharp masculine ones. It wasn't a date. He only wanted her to see the beautiful city.

Indiana noticed her hesitation. He gently touched the corner of her eye with his index finger.

"You look very sad. I only wanted to bring back your smile. I know you must miss Tony but it would do you good to spend a few days away from each other once in a while. And when you get back you can tell him all about Cairo," said Indiana.

His gentle smile was infectious. Angela found herself returning his smile and agreeing to their friendly date around Cairo. She wanted to experience the culture, taste the food and see the sights indeed.

Indiana helped Angela out of the jeep and escorted her back to her hotel room. On the way inside, they passed by the courtyard instead of the main hall. The glittering deserted swimming pool that overlooked the Great Pyramids was inviting after a long hot day at the desert. It was almost completely sundown by the time they reached the hotel and the view of the sunset by the poolside was breath taking.

"Maybe we can take a dip tomorrow night after the dig if you like," said Indiana.

"That would be lovely," said Angela.

"Let's convene at the lobby in an hour so we could have a little walk before the dinner cruise at 8pm," said Indiana as he and Angela parted ways.


End file.
